Our life is fully interlaced with the Internet, our attention is glued to the news, posts, and blogs. Face-to-face communication faded into the background letting online communication take the lead. The recent years have been quite turbulent, dragging people into the ‘virtuality’ even more, giving no chance to the world around us. While the benefits of internet communication are hard to underestimate, the safety issue is getting more and more serious, especially for youngsters.
According to the reports, minors are far more susceptible to internet scams as they take more time to recognize the thread and are less cautious when sharing the information. According to findmykids.org The most common scams are:
- Social media scams – typically relate to identity thefts, as all the personal data is stolen and can be used against other people using the kid’s name and photo.
- Online shopping scams – marketers typically target teens and adolescents as they are an easy catch and big spenders. With the right approach, run-off-the-mill goods can be sold at the price of brands.
- Bullying – is always among infamous leaders. Due to psychological reasons and age-related vulnerability, kids are often subject to bullying. The consequences can be irreversible.
- Skill or talent contest – modeling or acting scams are always on the blacklist. They appeal to the desire to be famous, and youngsters buy them. Typically, they need to pay the fee to enter the contest, and after they win, they need to pay again for promotions, ads, publications, etc.
- Scholarship or grant contest – college costs make higher education unattainable for many, so ads with grants and scholarships just hit the spot. However, the main aim is either identity theft, or plenty of insignificant fees, that makes a lot of money when counted together.
- Weight loss pills – children’s obesity is an issue for many and often the reason for bullying. Quick solution in the form of pills (of very doubtful quality) to lose weight makes youngsters the victim of such a scam.
- “Try-now-pay-later” stuff – lots of apps offer to try something for free and only after a month to pay. However, minors tend to forget about such subscriptions, wasting a lot of parents’ salaries.
- Well-paid jobs for no work – a dangerous offer for teens who need more pocket money. They are offered good money for an hour per day. Easy money has a high price to pay.
Even though everyone seems to know the basic rules of internet safety to avoid the above-mentioned threads, as it always happens, the rules are flouted. Parents are worried about their kids and want to track and control their movements and Internet presence. Children are getting annoyed with the constant control as they have a strong sense of liberty, and have no desire to open all the ‘virtuality’ secrets, making their parents even more frustrated. Looks like a vicious cycle, doesn’t it?
Luckily, the software developers are also aware of the lurking dangers and make their best to help the parents control the kids, however, the kids are left oblivious to it. Typically, for more precise location and information, there must be a companion app, to connect both – parents and children, however, the kids’ app will look like the organizer.
1. Phone number tracking
Those who don’t want to use the apps can use phone number tracking, however, it will not provide all the information, just the location. There are online services like Number Tracker, Phone Location, Phone Number Tracker, etc.
2. Phone’s Built-in Functions
All the phones have a built-in function that can help to track the phone and thus, the kid’s location. Yet the other information is quite limited, just their GPS data. The two most typical are Find My Friends and Google Family.
3. Specialized tracking apps
If you need a more functional way of tracking your child, it’s better to opt for specialized apps, as they offer a full range of activities and benefits. The most popular and reliable to check are MamaBear, mSpy, the Spy Bubble, Find My Kids, etc.
The biggest advantage is 24/7 access to the child’s location, and browsing history, helping to limit certain types of traffic, phone calls, etc. Yet, some developers went even further than that. If you check findmykids.org, there’s a feature that adds an additional layer of security – activation of the microphone to listen to the surrounding. When the kid doesn’t answer the phone, you can listen to everything happening around you, which is really helpful in case of an emergency.
Our digitally raised generation is quite tender and vulnerable, therefore parents need to do everything to protect them. It is crucial to give children freedom, in order to help them become independent. Yet the dangers of the world can make it more difficult. With the help of special apps, it’s possible to track the kid’s performance and limit their usage of harmful content. When choosing the right software, go for the ones with more options, which will give you the most complete information about the kid’s daily life. When safety is involved, everything matters – location, movement history, and sounds around.
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Sarah Durrani 
